Personal Statement: Is Golf A Sport

Is Golf a Sport? There has been a long-held debate about whether golf is a sport or not. With funny-looking outfits and long lasting golf cart rides, the skeptics are always quick to present that it isn’t. The skeptics might think that golf is not a sport, due to the lack of exercise. They might think golf does not require enough physical exertion to meet the definition of a sport. Burning 360 calories per hour playing golf without a cart or caddie is far less than the number of calories burned per hour in competitive sports: 900 in soccer, and 727 in football, basketball, and tennis (Is Golf a Sport?). Now that you have heard the reason why people think golf is not a sport I am going to tell you why golf is a sport. Although some might

There have been many individuals who come up to me and say golf isn’t a sport or all you do is walk up to the ball and hit it. Let's see if they even know what a sport is. The definition of a sport is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature (Dictionary.com). To my understanding golf meets every single one of those requirements. The first requirement, skill. If you want to be good at golf you have to train vigorously to improve your skills just like you would do in any other sport. Plus, physical training leads to improvement in a golfer's performance. In golf, like in other sports, there is a correlation between physical training and improved performance (Is Golf a Sport?). Golfers train by getting in the weight room, working on swing mechanics, putting green and driving range, and playing a lot of rounds of golf. During the game of golf you may hit a bad shot or two and this is mostly due to lack of concentration. You have to concentrate on every shot or it may impact you negatively. Golf is also a mental game, you have to move on to your next shot and forget about the last one. Golf also needs coordination. The golf swing uses at least 17 muscle groups in the coordinated movement of the hands, wrists, arms, abdomen, and legs according to a study in the BMJ (Is Golf a